Hands Down
by bookworm26
Summary: She was stuck with House for 5 days. Alone. Perhaps more could come out of this than she expected.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Certainly don't own. Wish I did, though.

'_This night is wild, so calm and dull. These hearts they race, from self control.'_

Hands Down – Dashboard Confessional.

It had been a long day.

Cameron turned the key in the lock of her hotel room door, and pushed it open, stepping into the sun-lit room as she closed the door behind her. It was after 5, and yet the sun still peaked through the glass door that was connected to her balcony.

Coming to this conference in California had been anticipated for awhile, yet the circumstances to which she would come were not. It was July, and it was hot. And Cameron had been stuck in a stifling lecture hall for the last 3 hours listening to a middle age man drone on about the effects of Alzheimer's.

And she was stuck with House for 5 days. Alone.

Cameron had a certain ounce of hesitance when she found out Cuddy had only booked House and Cameron to go. She knew that the main reason Cameron had been instructed to go was merely to prevent House from doing anything that would bring humiliation to Cuddy or the hospital.

Cameron didn't quite know how to do either.

Dropping her bag on her bed and running a hand through her hair, Cameron walked over to the balcony and slid the glass door open. She had quite a beautiful view. The hotel was right on the beach, and her balcony looked over it. She leaned against the cement railing and looked out at the Ocean.

They had arrived yesterday afternoon from Princeton and spent the rest of the afternoon getting settled into their hotel rooms. Or rather, Cameron spent the afternoon settling in. She didn't know where House had gotten to. No sooner as she had dropped her bag on the bed, she had heard his door in the adjoining room slam close and his incessant limp down the hallway.

Cameron closed her eyes as a gust of air blew through her hair, and removed the stickiness she was currently feeling. The lecture had been one of the most boring she had ever been to, and the fact that her legs were becoming stuck to the seat about an hour in, made for an uncomfortable few hours. That and the fact that House kept on tapping his cane on the ground, or cocking his head to stare at her, or pass her scribbled notes that pressured her to stop paying attention. She rolled her eyes at the thought, and turned back into her hotel room, opting to take a quick shower before getting some dinner.

Stepping into the lukewarm water, Cameron ran a hand through her hair as the water drenched it. She felt her muscles relax as she stood in the shower, moving her head from side to side, allowing the water to trickle down her neck. Having House so close was something that certainly made her not only tense, but extremely tired. There were subtle things between them, rare moments in which she would catch his eye and he would hold her gaze. Holding up the charade of not caring was starting to take it's toll on her, and every slight brush against him made her stomach curl into knots.

She hated feeling like this, when she knew that there was no probable outcome.

What annoyed her the most was that it was starting to become a game to him. Like his twisted version of chicken. He would deliberately brush up against her, or tower over her just to hear her breath catch in her throat. Then he would smirk and turn away, knowing exactly what effect he had on her.

Preventing the effect was proving more difficult than Cameron realized.

Scrubbing the last of the shampoo out of her hair, Cameron turned off the taps and wrapped a towel around herself, stepping out of the shower and over to the mirror. She stared into her features and shook her head, smirking to herself. Self analysation was going to achieve nothing. It was all him. She just had to build up a resistance.

Cameron quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a short sleeve blouse, before walking out into her room, and grabbing the hair dryer out of her bag. She gave it a quick blow over, so that it was still a bit damp, and tied it back in a loose bun.

Cameron put on a pair of flat open shoes, before walking over to her bed and picking up her bag. She walked to her door, shuffling through her bag for her keys before she twisted the doorknob and opened it. She quickly jumped back when she realized someone was standing at the doorstep.

House.

'Jesus,' Cameron said, holding a hand up to her chest, 'You scared the hell out of me.'

House smirked, letting his cane, which was held up in preparation to knock on her door, fall down between his fingers. 'You're awfully jumpy,' He remarked, his forehead creasing as his cane began making swift tapping noises on the carpet.

'Yeah, well I get that way when men stand at my doorstep with cane's poised looking like they are ready to attack me,' Cameron replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she pulled her keys from her bag.

House chose to ignore that statement and looked at the keys in her hand. 'Where are you off to?' He asked, his eyes shifting in an attempt to get a good look at her hotel room.

'Eat. I've been sitting in a lecture hall for 3 hours and I'm starving,' Cameron replied, crossing her arms as she stared at him.

'Hey, I offered to get you out of there,' House said, raising his hand and shrugging.

Cameron rolled her eyes again. 'Correction, you offered to _sneak_ us out of there. I'm sure Cuddy would have just laughed that one off,' She said.

House shrugged as Cameron eyed him. 'What's up?' Cameron asked, her key's firmly in her hand.

'Let's go,' House stated, standing up straight.

Cameron raised her eyebrows. 'Go where? House, I'm tired. I just want to grab some food and go to bed.'

House rolled his eyes. 'Where's you're sense of adventure? Come on, trust me,' He stated, staring at her as if his mind was made up.

Cameron stared at him. He nodded, taking that as her answer, and began limping down the corridor, leaving Cameron staring at him. She sighed, taking a look back at her room, before closing the door and locking it, following him down the corridor to where only he knew.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Hands Down (2/3)

**Prompt:** #006 Hot

**Word Count:** 1,639

**Rating:** R. For teh sex.

**Summary:** She _was stuck with House for 5 days. Alone._ Perhaps more could come out of this than she expected.

**Note:** I'm thinking 3-4 chapters. Still haven't figured it out yet. Probably 3, with an epilogue perhaps. Just thought I'd let you know D Cause I'm nice like that. And with this chapter, feedback would be all kinds of lovely )

'_I'll always remember the sound of the stereo,  
the dim of the soft lights,  
the scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers  
and the time on the clock when we realized it's so late.'_

Hands Down – Dashboard Confessional

Of all the places Cameron thought she would end up with House during this conference, a sports bar definitely wasn't one of them.

And she was starting to feel a little tipsy.

House smirked as Cameron hiccupped and took another sip of her scotch and coke. 'You can't hold you're alcohol,' He pointed out, taking his eyes off the basketball that was currently playing on the TV.

Cameron rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, well when I've been forced to come to a sports bar, nothing else really seems appealing.'

House took another swig of scotch and stared at Cameron. She was currently staring down into her scotch while fingering the glass rim. He smirked as she looked up and caught his eye. 'Why are we here? On second thought, why did I let you take me here?'

'You spent the entire flight yesterday talking about how we should experience new things while we were here,-'

'I was being optimistic,' Cameron cut in, glaring into her glass.

'-and I think this qualifies as a new experience. I didn't know that you would get drunk so easily, though,' House finished with a smirk.

'And you're not intoxicated? I'm smaller than you are, therefore I can't take as much alcohol as you,' Cameron replied, glaring up at him.

House nodded in reply and took another drink. In actual fact, he found it amusing that Cameron was smashed. It completely blew his angelic view of her. And the fact that she was sitting right in front of him looking completely and utterly adorable made him want to look away quickly.

He didn't want to think like that. Thinking like that would lead to something he wasn't sure he _or_ she needed.

'Why did you insist we go out tonight?' Cameron broke the silence, looking up at him shakily.

House stared at her. Truth be told, he didn't actually know why he had gone to her room. It was a momentary lapse of sanity on his part, yet the lapse had seemingly lasted all this time. He was beginning to think he was actually far more drunk than he thought he was.

'I told you. New experience. And I wanted to see you drunk,' House replied, smirking.

'Of course, it was sleaziness on your part and nothing to do with the fact that you actually showed some ounce of wanting human attention,' Cameron mumbled.

House felt a small smile creep onto his face, and he did his best to cover it up. 'Look at you. You still know how to psychoanalyze me even when you're drunk.'

'I have a talent,' Cameron replied, her head resting on her hand.

House took one last swig of his scotch and stood up, reaching for Cameron's elbow. 'Come – on, let's get you out of here before you start singing karaoke,'

Cameron hastily stood up, supported by House's hand on her elbow. As soon as her feet hit the floor, the room started to spin and she swayed. House grabbed her around the waist to prevent her falling over and she placed her hands on his chest to steady herself.

'Whoa…' Cameron said, putting a hand up to her head. It was then that she noticed just how close to House she was. His hands were firmly on her waist, steadying her, and his warmth sent a shiver up her spine. She looked up slowly and met his gaze. He stared at her for a moment, before looking away and leading her out of the bar, his hand still firmly around her waist.

10 minutes later, House and Cameron silently walked down the corridor of the hotel to their respective rooms. Cameron was starting to feel slightly more sober as her head began to ache softly. She realized that this situation was awkward, as, for some unknown reason, House and herself had done something together. Willingly.

It confused her more than anything.

'Um-'Cameron stopped outside her hotel room and turned to face him. 'Tonight was … interesting,' She said, smirking.

House smirked in return, staring down at his cane. 'Well at least I now know just how much alcohol to give you if I want to get you drunk,' He replied.

She smiled, sticking her key into the lock and opening the door. 'Do you –'she paused, looking back at him, '- want to come in?'

House looked down at the ground, not replying, before quickly looking up. 'I'd better go,' he said roughly.

Cameron nodded, and she couldn't help but notice the niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach and the sudden disappointment that she felt after he spoke. 'Ok. I'll see you in the morning then,' she replied, smiling as she walked into her room and closed the door behind her.

Leaning her back against the door, Cameron sighed and closed her eyes, reeling after the night's events. It definitely wasn't something she had ever imagined she would do with House, yet she was subtly aware that she found it almost fun.

Standing up straight and walking over to her bed, Cameron dropped her bag on the chair next to the bathroom before reaching over and grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top out of her suitcase. Quickly undressing and throwing on the clothes, she picked up the suitcase and put it next to the bed, throwing back the covers and sitting down.

She knew she wouldn't get to sleep after this.

Standing back up, Cameron walked over to the glass door and slid it open, walking out onto the balcony. She shivered slightly as the warm air hit her, and reached out to run her fingers along the railing. She was feeling confused. And irritated. And content. She smiled, and looked out on the beach before a sharp knock echoed through her room.

Cameron looked back, stepping back into her room and closing the glass door, before walking over to her door. She had a sneaking suspicion who it was, yet she didn't want to get her already high hopes up.

Opening the door she was faced with House. Staring at her. With an oddly determined look on his face.

Before she could ask what he wanted, he took a step forward and crashed his lips on hers, his hands immediately holding her waist. Cameron gave a start, gasping slightly, before she pressed into him and wound an arm around his neck. He backed her up, pushing her door closed with his cane as his lips moved against hers.

Cameron broke off quickly. 'What are you doing?' She asked, breathless.

'I changed my mind,' House replied, before pulling her back flush against him and placing his lips back on hers. Cameron didn't object, as he backed them up slowly towards her bed. Her hands moved to the hem of his T-Shirt and she pulled it up over his head, breaking off just to do that before their lips collided again.

House's fingers traced the edge of her shirt, his calloused hands moving over the skin of her back. He pushed it up, before tugging it off her completely as it fell to the floor beside his shirt. He pulled her closer to him as he opened his mouth and dragged his tongue along the bottom of her lip, sucking on it before she pressed against him and collided her tongue with this. Cameron gave a soft moan as one of House's hands moved up to her hair, pulling the hair tie out and letting her brown waves tumble around her shoulders.

Cameron's hands moved down to House's belt buckle and she began undoing it, her mouth still on his. House broke off and moved down to her neck, kissing the curve of her shoulder and smirking when her grip loosened on his jeans and her head tilted to the side to allow him better access. His jeans fell to the ground and he stepped out of them, before backing Cameron up against the bed as the backs of her knee's hit the mattress. She fell back and House knelt on his good leg on top of her.

House's hands worked their way from her chest down to the waistband of her sweatpants. He broke away; looking down at Cameron's flushed face as one of his fingers hooked into her pants and underwear, pulling them down her legs. She leant up and kissed him, biting his lip gently as she felt his erection against her thigh. Her finger's brushed against his boxer shorts, and she felt him shift. A finger hooked in his shorts and pulled them down, as he groaned as her fingers once again brushed against his erection.

He didn't waste time entering her, kissing her swiftly to drown out her moan as he began moving in a steady rhythm. She arched against him, biting her lip as she felt herself build up. She came, her head leaning on his shoulder as she felt him breathe heavily against her. He came soon after, before collapsing next to her as they both attempted to regain their normal breathing pattern.

Cameron rested her head against her pillow and ran a hand through her hair. She had a sinking feeling of the awkwardness that would follow after this pivotal event. She moved her head slightly to the side to she could see House and saw that he was staring at her.

'Hi,' he said roughly, his voice etched with exhaustion.

'Hi,' Cameron replied, smiling slightly.

He twitched his head slightly, gesturing her to come over there. Cameron shifted and rested her head on his shoulder, his fingers tracing patterns over her back.

_Optimism pays off._


	3. Chapter 3

'_And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist and you kissed me like you meant it.'_

Hands Down – Dashboard Confessional

The soft click of her door stirred Cameron from her sleep. She opened her eyes, yawning as she sat up; her sheets still a tangle around her body. She gave a quick glance at the spot next to her in the bed, even though she already knew it would be empty.

A trickle of doubt sank through her, but she shook it back, looking at the clock on her beside table. 8:00 Am. They had their lecture at 9am. Wrapping the sheets around her completely, Cameron sat up and got out of bed, padding into the bathroom so she could shower before she had to go downstairs.

10 minutes later Cameron emerged from her bathroom, dressed in a skirt and blouse, and sat on her bed, grabbing her shoes from the floor.

She had always had a sneaking suspicion that this would happen. It wasn't entirely like House to stay around for the morning after of anything. Yet she still couldn't help but feel abandoned. The thought of what was going to happen next made her uncertain more than anything.

Cameron gave her hair a quick brush, opting to leave it out today, and picked up her bag, heading out her door. She walked into the corridor, closing her door behind her and locking it. When she turned the key, she felt someone come up behind her. She knew who it was without even turning around.

'Morning,' Cameron said softly, feeling slightly dazed that House had his chest pressed against her back in the open corridor.

'Morning,' House replied roughly, his warm breathe hitting the back of Cameron's neck. He felt her shiver. He smirked.

Cameron turned around to face him, and realized just how close he was. She leant against her door and looked up at him. 'You left,' She stated, biting her lip.

'I had to take a shower. Wouldn't want to turn up at the lecture looking all rumpled, would I? What kind of an impression would that put on the hospital?' House replied, staring into her face.

Cameron smiled slightly, looking down the corridor. Things were changing. And they were changing fast. She couldn't quite grasp the concept.

'Um – we should go,' Cameron gestured down the hall.

House's forehead creased. 'You ok?' He asked, leaning on his cane as he backed up.

Cameron nodded, a smile creeping onto her mouth as she began to walk down the corridor to the elevator. Cameron shook her head and mentally kicked herself as she pressed the button to the elevator. She didn't know why she was acting so weird, but she just felt like she needed some space to grasp what had happened.

House stepped up beside her and brushed against her side, staring at the metal doors.

Cameron sighed. Space was something she knew she probably wouldn't get.

Sitting at the back of the lecture hall, Cameron was becoming increasingly aware of House's presence beside her.

Every few minutes he would cock his head and look at her. A casual brush of his knee against her thigh would make her take a breath, yet Cameron was determined to keep her eyes at the front. She didn't want this to affect anything, yet she knew that as soon as she had let him into her room things would be affected. Things would change. Things have changed.

The woman at the front of the hall wrapped up her speech in more than a few pages and the hall scattered in applause as people rose from their seats. Cameron was still seated, her hands firmly holding her book and bag, noticing that House had turned to look at her again.

'Let's get out of here,' He said, standing up and looking down at her.

Cameron looked up at him as she rose. 'Can you just –'

'You want to talk,' House interrupted, annoyance creased into his face. 'I know that. I know you. And we should. Not here.'

Cameron stared at him. This was the first time she had ever heard him willingly offer to talk. To her. To anybody.

She nodded, leading the way out of the lecture hall and out to the hallway of the hotel. Luckily for House and herself, they had reserved the hotel which the conference was held at, so they never really had far to go. _From each other, _Cameron thought, walking to the elevators and hearing House's cane click on the marble behind her.

The doors dinged open and they walked in. The doors clicked shut before anyone else had the time to enter and Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. She smirked, waiting for the impending question.

'So are you going to explain why you've been so weirded out all day?' House asked looking at her.

'I just needed to think,' Cameron replied, looking ahead at the metal doors.

'Do you always get this way after sex?' House asked, cocking his head.

Cameron looked up at him. 'No, I always get this was after screwing my boss though.'

House smirked. 'Huh. I knew there were more before me.'

Cameron let a small smile creep onto her features as the doors dinged open and she walked down the corridor to her room. She stiffened as she turned the key in the lock, feeling his shoulder brush against hers as he stepped up next to her. She hadn't quite gotten used to it yet. It would take awhile.

Opening the door and walking in, Cameron waited for House to close the door behind her. The door clicked and she dropped her keys on her beside table, turning around to face him.

'Ok. So talk,' House said, leaning on his cane near the door.

Cameron took a deep breath. He wasn't going to make this easy. 'This is … what's happening … I'm not quite sure how to react. It's a huge change. You must understand that more than I do. This could … things could happen. And I don't want to get myself into something that … I need something. From you.' She finished her speech, looking up at him.

'I'm not making any promises,' House shifted uncomfortably.

'I don't expect you to. I just need … something. Something to let me know that this isn't just a hug mistake and that you aren't just messing with me,' Cameron replied, taking a step towards him.

House took a step towards her and placed his hand on her hip, gently rubbing it through the thin material. 'I don't know if this is a huge mistake. Maybe it is. But I don't want to stop,' He said softly, his breath tickling her cheek.

Cameron stared at him. Before she could reply, House closed the distance between them, pulling her flush against him as his lips explored hers. Cameron loosened somewhat, placing her hands on his forearms before she broke away abruptly, breathing heavily.

'Stop,' She said softly, closing her eyes. 'We need to have a proper discussion. I don't want to just – '

'Cameron.' House took a step towards her, cutting her off mid sentence.

'What?' Cameron asked, her breath shaking as she looked up at him.

'Shut up,' House stated, before leaning down and pressing his lips on hers again. Cameron gave up, leaning into him as she opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to clash with hers. She whimpered, grasping his forearm as his hands moved up her top to brush his fingers against her skin.

It wasn't a beginning. It wasn't anything. It was just them. And strangely enough, that appealed to them more than anything else.


End file.
